Somalis (Canadians and Americans) do not go against the police.

[galbeedi]

About a month ago, a Somali community activist in this town , accused the local police of mistreating Somalis and other immigrants. In order to get publicity through the media, he held a town hall meeting asking Somalis to bring forward their police horror stories. Fortunately, he did not get any big misdeeds other than the usual complaints about an fair ticketing or police responding late to their 911 calls.

 

Most of the community and other activists did not share this campaign of targeting the police and eventually both the police and the Somali community decided to cooperate and understand each other. The police, like anyone with a power to inflict deadly force, are necessary evil to protect the public and safeguard the law. When there is treat to your safety, the only resource for law abiding citizens is the police. On the other hand, criminals are becoming more daring and dangerous. In the 21st century , police do not deal with usual criminals who are expected but, an armed assailant with ax to grind can emerge from no where and inflict damage to anyone which makes the police nervous. While there are few sociopaths in the police departments, the majority are law people serving the public.

 

We Somalis used to complain about the police for their lack of resolving murders in our community. This year about 28 people are dead because of homicides. Over 90% of them are white and the police have solved only 29% of the crimes. It is not like television were crimes are solved by finger prints and other flashy ways of Hollywood. It needs time, resources and breakthrough from witnesses. Crimes committed among gangs are hard to resolve. Anyway, The Somali situations is getting much better, families are waking up on the issue of idle youths and the lack of supervision . Many other young Somalis are also turning the page. For the last two years , we had about four murders, which is a big improvement.

 

 

The latest shooting of a black man in St,Paul, Minnesota, have caused a lot of uproar from the black community across America, which in turn culminated the senseless murder of five police officers in Dallas, Texas. As many here in this pages had expressed, the shoot first and ask questions latter attitude of the American police, should worry all black people in general and the American people at large. Now , the main issue is how to minimize these deaths and improve the relations between police and minorities. We all condemn the senseless murder of police officers and the killing of Philando Castile the Minnesota man. If certain things do not change, both in America and the black community , these and many more murders could continue an abated. One is cultural in the black community, and the other one is racism and systematic attitude of law enforcement.

 

Blacks must change their cultural practices and life style or they will keep dying with gun shots either from the police or from within their communities.

 

1- Blacks murdering other blacks is pandemic.

 

If you randomly check the crime statistics of any major American cities, you will be surprised the number of black youth killed in the hands of other blacks. They are either drug, gang, turf war related, or just senseless murder of one another for useless reasons. The local police and front line people have been sensitized to this constant deaths, it is becoming normal as long as those killing themselves are blacks.

 

This is the Chicago city crime statistics in 2015.

 

2015 Total Chicago shooting and death.

Shot to death: 446

Shot and wounded: 2250

Total shots: 2996

Total shots homicide :508

 

80% of those killed are blacks, 16% Hispanic and 4% white. These things are normal among blacks in major American cities, yet no one is addressing this issues. Just like the right wing American media is wiping the isolated crimes of the so called radicalized Muslims, the left wing media is magnifying the deaths of blacks in the hands of white officers. It become a normal way of life for blacks to be murdered by their own. If you lived in any major American city, As I did about 14 years ago, black crime is in your mind.

 

In the year 2000, I was a taxi cab driver in Dallas Texas, on of the biggest American cities in the south west. Although I stayed mostly at airports to pick up passengers that are mostly business travelers, who are much saver compared to those in the city, yet, every time I ventured to get a fare in downtown or surrounding neighborhoods, black crime was always in my mind. Almost 80% to 90% of the city cab drivers were black Africans from Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Ghana, Nigeria, Eriteria or East Indians. We used to hear the publicized complaints of black American about discrimination of cab drivers towards them. For almost everyone of the cabbies , it was music to their ears. It was about life and death. The vast majority of the encounters with the black Americans used to end in disagreements, quarrels, fights or disappointments. Of course their were many good black people you enjoyed talking to and who made you feel at home, but most, especially the youth, it always ended up in regret. The rule was avoid black people from the inner cities as much as you can to survive.

 

When the market forces are in action, no government oversight or by-law will force people to change their attitude. Rather than focus how to interact and respect these cabbies, all you hear from the blacks were how racist these cabbies were. Well, tell that to the black Nigerians and other Africans.. Just like the cabbies, police and others see these daily killings and crimes among the black as normal clamminess that go with black neighborhoods. As such, people and police create a different rules for blacks in America.

 

It did almost happened to us here in this province of Alberta, Canada. Some eight years ago, we lost over twenty young Somali men in one year. Lucrative drug trade, money , inter province travel and hard headed Somali attitude, created a uncontrollable dilemma for all. Every bad kid or gang wannabe arrived in this oil rich province , and wanted to be rich without working hard. The police was unable to solved most of these crimes because of the uncooperative nature of the Somali witnesses. In Some cases those who got shot , but survived would not identify the killers or talk to police. In some cases, little disagreements among Somalis in night clubs would culminate in to shooting. Because of the outrage among Somalis, and the collective efforts taken by the community, crimes are going down and the youth are realizing the devastating effect of this.

 

Furthermore , the black community should stop speaking or caring for criminals who are threat to them and the public. If someone is robing a corner store or wielding a knife , we must assume something bad is going to happen. Here in Canada, police shoot every month some white people who are wielding baseball pats or other other metal objects, and they are exonerated without charge. In this white super majority province , white criminals are killed, captured and persecuted by police , and no one will claim to be their race. Unlike black America, they are just criminals removed from the society and everyone will welcome their demise.

 

2-Blacks must stop relying on the government and create their future like everyone else.

 

Since the majority culture, business and media of North America is Euro-centric, It is expected for black people to feel marginalized or dominated. Institutional racism is here to stay for many years to come for people of color and other visible minorities. Having said that, that does not stop blacks and others to succeed or achieve their goals in life. If a black man raised by a single mother could become the president of United States and win consecutive mandate from the American people, certainly , anyone could achieve their dreams.

 

As I mentioned , the market forces are bigger than the government or the pigmentation of your skin. The market forces follow their own rules and the best way to participate is to understand through education and life skills. Just like the caravan or the engine , they will just keep moving regardless of the noise of the crowd. The black people either must created their own culture, business and private environment to thrive within their so called black culture or must learn how to conform and prosper the larger American culture which is inescapable in today's America.

 

The Dallas city which is in the new these days , has a large black population. When I lived their , the mayor was black, 75% of city employees were black and many others have held county and state wide offices, yet , even among the black middle class neighborhoods, it was difficult to find a black owned business or gas stations. Because of the underclass criminals rooming among the law abiding blacks, even gas stations had bullet proof glasses and iron bars. The only way to prosper to these citizens were to leave their neighborhood and live with the larger American populace.

 

Other than the useless Hip- Hop culture, which demeans women and encourages gangster life style, blacks are not building sound and lasting business and private enterprises that would improve their communities. As native Americans, they should be the first ones to fill the millions of jobs that need skilled workforce. The black youth must abandon the flashy lifestyle of sport and music, and learn the slow , tough and time honored hard work of education and life skills to prosper in this life. That task needs the commitment of black families to stay together and nurture their children.

 

3- Change the victim mentality.

 

There is no collective rights in a capitalist democracies. Every man , women , old and young are their own individuals. You could improve your own lot or those you make contacts but, at the end you are only responsible for your own family and the community you live in. Black people should stop worrying about the past and start leaving for the future.

 

Here in Canada, the plight of native Indians or aboriginals are pronounced in the media almost every hour of the day, yet nothing changes. Everyone keeps repeating the injustices of white settlers of 200 years ago or the residential schools which robbed their culture, but all that rhetoric will not resolve their current state of affairs. Can you imagine the Somali refugees who showed up in Canada in the early nineties, have more university graduates than the million aboriginal natives of Canada. It is all about attitude.

 

The victim-hood is an obstacle for success. The Chinese were the slave labor that built the rail roads, many nations were interned and put in concentration camps. The black people must stop being the victim and build their future. In America, the blacks have a tremendous opportunity to leave behind the culture of poverty and destitute. Rather than been policed, be the police. Eliminate and subdue your own criminals while nurturing your law abiding communities.

 

The systemic racism.

 

The systemic racism of some white Americans is not going to disappear for a long time. Some human attitude can only change through time or reversal of fortunes. in the seventies and eighties, In apartheid South Africa, the Chinese were considered to be the same status like Indians or little bit higher than blacks , while Japanese were considered white. It was all about economic power, influence and respect. Unless the situations of the blacks change in terms economic power and education, the ignorant red necks will only see what they see in the media. In America and in the capitalist world , people respect success. In that scenario, the African continent must improve economically and institutionally.

 

The image of the black people projected in the American media had made the black people as underclass thugs that is much different from the larger Americans mosiac. All you see is people who not only look different, but who also speak , behave and act differently from the other Americans. It is few and far between to see a well spoken black characters who is acting like a normal American middle class.

 

A large segment of right wing America have created a vast network of radio and television directed at degrading, badmouthing and undermining black people. In the name of law and order, they made jails out of huge industry by incarcerating pity criminals and drug addicts. They introduced draconian laws to suppress black votes. Rather than help the unemployed youth through job training and skill development , they putting them down. Since the modern youths are not static, they are developing new ways of making unearned money through illegal means. In return, the right wing America built a huge justice system and law enforcement apparatus to deal with the over follow of these unemployed youth, then they filled up jails. For these zealots , the African American youth are undesirable misfits that has to be removed.

 

To avoid the traps of the institutionalized racism and self inflicted wounds , Black America must work hard. Marching and chanting will not resolve. They must look within their own short comings and improve their lot.

 

 

[maakhiri1]

Great piece, thanks for first hand experience.

 

The issue of victim mentallity, and feeling dispossessed, is extremely COMPLICATED issue, and , very hard to understand for anyone BORN free , and has been free for generations, vs completely dispossessed people from land, culture, religion, etc.

 

The same way indigenous in Canada, USA, and Australia, with so much resource allocated and spent on them, and yet very little improvement in their lives.

 

Some of these indigenous , Black people, don't want to change, or move on from victim mentality.

 

I don't believe there is a group of WHITE people organised themselves using government instituations, to enslave or disposes black people this age, it is SHILALKA aad is dhigto BAA lagu qalaa, why the few GOOD and WELL off , EDUCATED black people want to feel and act WHITE? BLACK people are not organised as community, and don't support each other.

 

 

Police brutality, multiple factors involved, and one MAJOR point is the one you mentioned, FEAR,over 1500 police are shot every day in US, and that scares the hell out of the police, Every police with limited training like deescalation techniques, is shitting their pants approaching black people. Kill before you get killed.